Cleaners may down tools on March 1

A strike warning has been issued for the facilities services sector following another breakdown in talks on a collective agreement for 70,000 workers.

Image: Andriy Popov / AOP

The Service Union United PAM has issued a strike warning for the facilities services sector. The strike will begin March 1 if no collective agreement for cleaners, janitors and building managers is reached by then. An overtime ban announced by PAM earlier this month remains in effect.

Some 1100 workers at a dozen companies would take part in the 24-hour strike. An overtime ban announced by PAM early this month is still in force.

National labour conciliator Minna Helle is expected to call the two sides in for negotiations following the strike warning.

PAM and the Real Estate Employers organisation re-started talks on Tuesday after a two-week hiatus. However the union soon broke off the negotiations, saying that the employers’ side had not budged on its terms and made only vague promises of wage increases.

“The situation in the negotiations yesterday was that the employers re-tabled their previous proposals and said no to our proposals,” PAM President Ann Selin said. “On pay rises, there was a promise of a general line only. We stated that we are unable to continue on that basis.”

Altogether some 70,000 workers are covered by the collective agreement in the facilities services branch.